Rottet



(No Model.)

. PERROTTET.

CORSET SHIELD.

No. 605,299. PatentedJune 7,1898.y

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NrrnN STATES;

-PATENT Prion,

CORSET-SHIELD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,299, dated June 7, 1898. Application Iiled October 2'2, 1895. Serial No. 566,551. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARIE LoUIsE PER- ROTTEL'a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corset-Shields, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to corset-shields, the object thereof being to provide a shield of this character which is soft to the touch, which readily conforms under a comparatively slight pressure to the shape of the wearer, and which is also extremely simple in its construction, While at the same time it is very durable in use.

A further object of the invention is to furnish a corset-shield so constructed that it will constitute not only a protection to the wearer from the corset by preventing the hard corset-steels from pressing directly on the person of such wearer and by preventing the sharp and sometimes jagged ends of such steels, when the same are broken, engaging the body or clothing, but Will also constitute a protection to the corset from the wearer by absorbing perspiration and thereby preventing the rusting of the corset-steels and the consequent breakage thereof frequently due to this cause only, while at the same time such shield will act as a reinforcing means to the corset both when in perfect condition and also when the steels thereof have become broken through any cause,sothat the corset need not be thrown aside, but can `be worn as usual without injurious results or any diminution of comfort.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure l is a front View of a portion of a corset, showing in dotted lines one form of this improved shield attached thereto. Fig. `2 is a view of one form of the shield detached. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of such shield. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of one form of this improved shield, a portion of the` outer protecting material being removed to showr the innerprof tecting material and the disposition of the guard-wires. l

' Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

' I am aware that Various constructions of shields have been used in connection with corsets; but all of the shields of which I am v cognizant are hard to the touch, being constructed of resilient steels or like material covered by material substantially similar to that of which the corset itself is constructed, so that when in position the shield and corset simply form a double corset throughout the size of the shield, requiring considerable pressure to bend them to the form and to maintain them in such position, whereas my im proved shield is constructed of substantiallyV non-resilient Wires covered with material entirely dissimilar from that composing the corm set and is, unlike the usual corset material, extremely soft to .the touch. One of the shields above referred to isl constructed by securing woven-Wire fabric intermediate two pieces of elastic textile material, such as stockinet, by gumming the same to the inner faces of the covering material, this wire fab-` ric being sometimes supplemented by steels or Whalebones. This is very hard'to the touch, its tendency being constantly to rey turn to its normal position, especially when supplemented by steels or Whalebones, thus requiring considerable force and pressure to conform it to the shape of the wearer. An other construction of shield is that in which a series-of comparatively Wide and resilient steelsor Whalebones are secured intermediate two layers of material, such as webbing, said steels being curved in the direction of their length and applied to the corset at right angles to the direction of the corset-steels. This shield is likewise extremely hard to the touch and is merely a disposition of steels, similar to the corset-steels, transversely of the steels of such corset, thereby making what might be well designated a double corset at the point of application.` Owing to the construction of this shield it likewise requires considerable pressure to conform it to the shape. a series' of short comparatively Wide strips of resilient material-such as whalebone, horn,

`or steel-is stitched between two layers of Another construction is that in whichv IOO material and which strips of resilient material are adapted to extend lengthwise from Iis top to bottom of the corset. This construction is exactly similar to that last described, except that the steels are so attached to the corset that they will extend in parallelism -with the steels of the corset instead of at right angles thereto.

In the preferred form thereof herein shown and described my improved shield embodies a corset-steel guard of peculiar character, which consists of a series of separated and independent strips or wires B of comparatively small diameter disposed side by side in parallelism with each other and relatively close together. These guard-wires B are substantially non-resilient and serve to give to the shield the natural shape of the body, and

- thus constitute whatI term pliable or set wires, since they preferably have comparatively little resiliency. These wires are formed of such material that they are very pliable7 so that they will readily-conform under comparatively slight pressure to the shape of the wearer and be maintained in such shape for any length of time, yet when the shield is readj usted they will require no greater' pressure to make them conform to the new position or shape than they required in the iirst instance. In practice I have found that the wire which is best adapted for the purpose is that which is generally' known as picture-wire, which, being galvanized, will not rust and each strand of which is constructed of a series of fibers twisted and interwoven together to form a substantially round surface. These wires are secured in position intermediate two superimposed layers of material, being completely covered thereby, and carried in a series of pockets, one wire in each pocket. This material A, which I herein designate as the inner protecting material, may be of any suitable formation, but is preferably of that character which will stand considerable wear and is preferably of such tenacity that it will prevent the ends of the wires from working through. In practice I have found that leather-such, for instance, as chamois-skin-is best adapted for this purpose, as this material is extremely pliable and soft to the touch, while at the same time it is very beneficial to the wearer.

The wire-receiving pockets are preferably formed by folding the chamois-skin centrally of its length or breadth, according to the shaped shield desired, thereby forming two overlapping or superimposed layers of material, and then connecting such layers at intervals by rows of stitching throughout its length or breadth, as the case maybe, whereby a series of separated wire-receiving pockets are formed, each separate and independent from the other. After the insertion of the wires, which can be readily done at one end of the pockets, the unconnected edges of the two layers are united or sewed together, whereby the wires are completely inclosed in their pockets. By this construction it will be seen that the wires are disposed in position relatively close together, but at the same time each is separated from its companion Wire. These guard-wires, together with their inclosing material, arethen secured in position in any suitable manner, preferably by stitching, between two outer layers of soft material C, the edges D of which may be bound in any desired or ornamental lnanner. This material, which I herein designate as the outer protecting material, may be of` any suitable formation adapted for the purpose; but I have found that the material best adapted to secure the results I desire to obtain is what is known as Jaeger iiannel, which not only absorbs perspiration, but is also of great sanitary value. Y The shields so constructed in the manner above setforth are usually furnished in sets, three to a set, so that they may be disposed in position inside the corset F, being usually Sewed, although they may be otherwise secured thereto, one at each hip and one` at the `front of the waist of the wearer, as shown at E, Fig. 1. The shields may be disposed so that the wires will extend in parallelism with the steels of the corset, this being preferably the case when the shield is disposed at the front of the waist, or they may be disposed so that, the wires will extend at an angle to the steels of the corset, this being preferably the case when the shields are disposed at the hips ofthe wearer. Y l From the foregoing it will be seen that the separated parallel wires are not only extremely pliable transversely of their length, but also permit of great pliability in the shield longitudinally of such wires, owing to their small diameter and their mode of dispositionthat is to say, although the wires are comparatively close together, yet, owing to their small diameter and the mode of disposition thereof, each in a separateand independent pocket, there remains a comparatively large amount of non-filled material between such wires, so that said shield is therefore veryv pliable longitudinally of and intermediate such wires, said wires themselves, owing to their formation, and thereby the shield,being very pliable transversely of their length. It will thus be seen that by this construction the shield is of greater pliability than it could possibly be if it wereconstructed of comparatively Wide steels or whalebones, as each steel would take up considerable space widthwise, and having no longitudinal pliability itself therefore the shield would have little pliability longitudinally of such steels. From the above itwill be seen that these wires will furnish a guard against injury to the person of the wearer in case of the breakage of the corset-steels, these being very resilient and usually of a high temper, so that when a corset-steel breaks the end thereof in work- Aing through the fabric portion of the corset and through the outer layer of the shield will engage one or more of the guard-wires, which are relatively close together, and so be pre- IOO IIO

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vented from going through the shield. Furthermore, owing to the use of a tenacious inner protecting material the working through the shield of the steels is also retarded. That surface of thel shield formed of the outer soft material which is next to the wearer serves to take up perspiration, which, together with the particular inner material set forth, prevents the moisture from penetrating to the tempered plates or steels of the corset and in that way prevents that peculiar oxidation of the steels which, it is well known, weakens such steels and so leads to the breakage thereof, and this in that part of the steels where such breakage is most objectionable as regards comfort and also most dangerous.

In conclusion, it will beseen that the shield is composed of material which is entirely dissimilar to that of which corsets are usually constructed and is very soft to the touch as compared with such corset material, so that when in position it will constitute a means of comfort as well as a protection to the wearer i from the hard surface of the corset and from posed one in each of said pockets, and all eX- tending in the same direction, and an outer covering of soft material completely inclosing said inner material and strips, whereby when Vthe shield is bent the strips will retain said shield in its bent position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this l7th `day of October, 1895.

MARIE LOUISE PERROTTET Vitnesses C. GERsT, M. OPPENHEIMER. 

